The present invention relates to a piezoelectric element and an image forming device using the piezoelectric element.
In a conventional image forming device such as a copying machine, a printer and a facsimile, etc., there are provided an electrode aperture plate, a toner bearing roller and a back electrode. The electrode aperture plate is disposed between the toner bearing roller and the back electrode.
The toner-bearing roller is rotatably disposed separated from the electrode aperture plate by a gap through which an image forming medium is transported. The aperture electrode plate includes an insulation base, through which are formed a plurality of linearly aligned apertures, and control electrodes formed around the apertures to the surface of the insulation base. The back electrode roller is rotatably disposed adjacent to the aperture electrode plate and is for supplying toner particles to the aperture electrode plate. The image forming device also includes a control circuit for controlling application of voltage to the control electrodes based on image formation data.
Electric fields are selectively generated by applying a voltage to the control electrodes formed around apertures in the electric aperture plate. Charged toner supplied on the toner-bearing roller is drawn into apertures of energized control electrodes and then further attracted by the back electrode so as to impinge the toners onto a recording sheet passing between the aperture electrode plate and the back electrode.